The anthracycline antibiotics are of some interest in cancer chemotherapy. Despite the considerable work on their preparation there are no truly practical syntheses available. Along these lines we have what we feel is an efficient and regiospecific route to these molecules; one which is in principle tolerant of a wide degree of substitution in the anthracycline ringe system. The practicality is illustrated by our use of tens of grams of bis-deoxydaunomycinone in our current work. The project is aimed at daunomycin although adriamycin and carminamycin will follow also as a consequence of successful completion of the synthesis.